New Environments, New DBA Crushes…

Just about any DBA you speak with will admit to having at least one other DBA they follow on the web, seek out when the present at conferences or search out when purchasing technical books. I jokingly refer to these as DBA crushes, (which really annoys my male coworkers when I tell them they are “DBA crushing” when the arena is also predominently male… :))
Now that I am part of the Exadata team at #Pythian, I’ve been intensely focused on every scrap of online information regarding the technology and from all this research, I have come up with a new DBA crush- Mr. Frits Hoogland, (http://fritshoogland.wordpress.com/.) Frits has helped me out via the Oracle L list in the past, but until I started my search for Exadata information, I hadn’t realized his obsession with it has been so encompassing. He hasn’t written a large quantity of articles on the subject, but what he has completed is on the exact path that I’ve been searching for.
I’ve found great benefit from his insight and tests as I dig deeper into understanding cell single block read waits, smart scans and parallel performance in Exadata, (like anyone would be surprised that I’d be interested in parallel execution.)
Another DBA that has impressed me during my busy transition at #Pythian has been Greg Rahn, (http://structureddata.org/). I really appreciate that he made himself available to me for questions regarding parallel server settings with Exadata and concerns I’ve had as I acclimate myself to the new environment.

I’m a strong proponent of the best teachers in the DBA world are other DBA’s- those who are also in the trenches, on the front-line and are all about sharing their knowledge, not about selling a product, hiding a flaw in a feature or having to market anything. This is why, just as I was told, “You need to blog”, (Yes, Chet Justice, you get full credit for this…) I recommend to others to share- no matter if it’s in a blog, in an email list, by presenting at conferences or writing whitepapers, etc… There are so many incredibly skilled DBA’s out there that have so much to offer.